Almost two-thirds of court admissions to state prison are for property and drug offenses, including drug possession (15 percent), (not use) drug sales (15 percent), (not use) burglary (9 percent), and auto theft (7 percent).
Some info above too TE.
Posted on 07/09/2007 7:21:35 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084
WASHINGTON -- News that Al Gore's 24-year-old son, Al Gore III, was busted for pot and assorted prescription pills has unleashed a torrent of mirth in certain quarters.
Gore-phobes on the Internet apparently view the son's arrest and incarceration as comeuppance for the father's shortcomings. Especially rich was the fact that young Al was driving a Toyota Prius when he was pulled over for going 100 mph -- just as Papa Gore was set to preside over concerts during a 24-hour, seven-continent Live Earth celebration to raise awareness about global warming.
Whatever one may feel about the former vice president's environmental obsessions, his son's problems are no one's cause for celebration. The younger Gore's high-profile arrest does, however, offer Americans an opportunity to get real about drug prohibition, and especially about marijuana laws.
For the record, I have no interest in marijuana except as a public policy matter. My personal drug of choice is a heavenly elixir made from crushed grapes. But it is, alas, a drug.
Tasty, attractive and highly ritualized in our culture, wine and other alcoholic beverages are approved for responsible use despite the fact that alcoholism and attendant problems are a plague, while responsible use of a weed that, at worst, makes people boring and hungry, is criminal.
Pot smokers might revolt if they weren't so mellow.
Efforts over the past few decades to relax marijuana laws have been moderately successful. Twelve states have decriminalized marijuana, which usually means no prison or criminal record for first-time possession of small amounts for personal consumption. (Those states are: Alabama, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.)
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
I have found it difficult to find statistics on lung cancer rates in Google searches but I may try your medpub suggestion sometime. Neither gov sites (NDHS??? NHSD???) or American Cancer Society seem to have them. That makes me suspect an agenda not a genuine regard for disseminating truth. The same lack of info is apparent when one tries to find out how many women die from legal abortions. I know they collect the numbers.
You don’t have one iota of understanding about what the hell you’re talking about.
Hold on. There’s a seed burning a hole in the new carpet.
What the hell were we talking about?
“Pot’s not dangerous.”
Correct. Hell, I just boiled some hot dogs in one.
There is a poster’s tagline that goes like this “I never argue with an idiot, they’re drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
“Most all violent offenders in California for rape, murder and such were on drugs and substances at the time that almost always INCLUDED pot.”
I’ll bet they also threw down cold glasses of milk sometimes.
Freaking cows!
You couldn't be more wrong. Alcohol is a far more pernicious intoxicant than marijuana.
As for not being a "conservative behavior," have you ever been to a fraternity party with alcohol everywhere, a businessman's lunch with martinis, or a XMAS party for a company of mostly conservatives where most were drunk? You're hung up on the word "drug" which conveniently leaves booze out of the equation.
I should know because for many years I smoked weed and drank , and I can tell you that alcohol is far worse. It's not even close.
Alcohol makes many people violent and impairs you to a level that marijuana doesn't. Drunk people get in fights, stoned people don't. As for driving, marijuana doesn't impair you anywhere near as much as alcohol. You might dismiss these statements, but I make them from personal experience, while your views are the result of hearsay.
If one of the two should be illegal, alcohol should.
And, you'd be suprised at how many people hold good jobs with good families who smoke a joint on the weekend.
Of course, using marijuana to excess is bad for a person, just as drinking too much or overeating is unwise, but that doesn't change the fact that marijuana is far less harmful than alcohol.
...the violent offenders pretty much all had pot involved in their problems when they committed crime and had to go to prison.
Perhaps you should read something put out by your own State regarding drug use and crime so your argument will improve...
California’s Criminal Justice System: A Primer January 31, 2007
About 28 percent of violent crimes involved an offender who was perceived to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
That means a whopping 62 percent of violent crimes involved an offender who was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Some info above too TE.
But I'll say this, for the record- I wish they'd legalize, regulate, and tax the smelly stuff like tobacco, and be done with it.
If you’re suggesting that this prohibition has done anything useful, I’d like to know what it is.
The last time around, prohibiton led to higher prices and crime by users to pay the price, black market sales of tainted products, organized crime, massive government corruption, gang murders by the score, gun bans, and a massive assault on the individual’s ability to transfer money.
This time around, it’s led to higher prices and crime by users to pay the price, black market sales of tainted products, organized crime, massive government corruption, gang murders by the score, gun bans, and a massive assault on the individual’s ability to transfer money. And of course, this time we’ve also got the rehab industry.
But sooner or later, someone is going to get it right.
make marijuana legal along the same guidelines as alcohol: 21 to buy (or 18), no driving under the influence. Quit increasing pushers’ profits. Let individuals grow for their own use but not for sale. Let grown-ups run their own lives and get rid of the wasteful spending on this part of the war on drugs.
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ping
Truism of the day, FRiend.
Then why are you always in the minority on FR drug threads?
Mmmmm, pie.
Huh. Wait what?
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